A network may include the interconnection of multiple personal electronic entertainment media devices. The various media devices may be networked together in order to share data, increase convenience, and make fuller use of each element. For example, certain devices within a home may be connected together. In such an environment, there are multiple potential sources and users of streaming digital media content for audio, video, gaming, and other uses.
Within such a network, there may be data of various different data types and formats, together with connected metadata, where metadata refers to information about other data. For example, metadata associated with digital music may include information regarding the artist, song title, album art, release date, and other information. Repositories of digital data typically support the ability to browse, filter, or search the repository for data with particular attributes. This is typically accomplished by storing the associated metadata in a database that supports these operations. In contemporary systems, the database and the data repository are typically conjoined as a single system. For example, a digital music system maintains a database of songs, while a DVR (digital video recorder) may maintain its own database of recorded television shows.
However, in an interconnected network, there may be a need to share a data repository across a network. The sharing of the data repository introduces complications for maintaining the related metadata. For example, each client of a repository may have different demands on the format and data types to be stored in the database. Further, a part of the value added by each client may be the types of queries supported and the performance provided in responding to such queries. It is impractical to support a single database format that can meet all needs in a network, particularly if the set of possible metadata that will be stored in the database cannot be predetermined. For example, a digital media repository may include personal photographs and home movies, premium movie content, television recordings, digital music, and other data. The set of metadata may be content-specific, personalized (such as user ratings), vendor-specific, and specific to other factors. On the other hand, a completely open-ended database, while allowing a wide variety of data types, would be contrary to demands for performance and customization.